I Think I Love You
by Little Miss Lovable
Summary: This story starts 3 years after the end of the movie. The scene where Dylan confessed his love never happened. Dylan and Lilly are best friends, but could they be more? On Dylan's 17th birthday, they realize that they have feelings for each other. What will happen? A lot of confusion, and many plot twists! Full summary inside. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys. I know, I know, I have several stories in the works right now that I should be working on, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I just had to write it down while it's still fresh in my mind, so here you go.**

**I was watching We Bought a Zoo today, and this idea came to me suddenly. **

**This is a short story, only a few chapters, about Dylan and Lilly a few years after the end of the movie. Pretend the whole window scene where Dylan confessed his love never happened. **

**The point of view will change a lot during this story, from third person to first person. It will focus on different characters, when I feel I need more input from a certain character. **

**Now that I've bored with a horribly long author's note, which is almost a full page, enjoy the story! Remember to review, I value your opinions!**

**Summary: Dylan and Lilly quickly became best friends after the Mee family moved in to the Rosemoor Wildlife Park. After 3 years, on Dylan's 17****th**** birthday, the two realize what's been between them all along. What will happen between them? Will they live happily ever after, or will their relationship crash and burn? Read on to find out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own We Bought a Zoo, or any of the characters.**

**I Think I Love You**

**Chapter One: Happy Birthday Dylan!**

************Third Person************

Dylan Mee woke up very early on the day of his 17th birthday, seeing the bright sunshine outside his window. His soft dark hair was messy from all the tossing and turning he'd done the previous night, and his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.

He heard noises coming from downstairs, so he stood up and pulled on a fresh green t-shirt and some faded jeans. Rubbing his eyes, he headed down the stairs to see his 10-year-old little sister, Rosie, helping their father with breakfast. She looked up at him from where she was stirring what looked like pancake batter and smiled at him brightly.

"Good morning, Dylan!" She cried, running toward him and throwing her small arms around his neck. "Happy birthday!"

"Good morning to you too, Rosie," Dylan set his little sister down and ruffled her hair. "Whatcha making for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" That was the only thing Rosie knew how to make, so it was a good thing Dylan liked pancakes. And Rosie's pancakes were delicious.

"Hey, Dyl, Lilly came by a while ago. Said she wanted you to meet her in the barn after breakfast," Benjamin Mee, Dylan and Rosie's father, told him over the morning paper.

Dylan nodded and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and the milk from the fridge. He quickly inhaled the pancakes that were set in front of him, chugged his milk, and headed toward the door. He only paused to pull on his black Converse sneakers and grey sweatshirt.

He ran out the door quickly and sprinted to the barn to meet his best friend of three years, Lilly. He entered the barn to see her curled up on a pile of hay, sketching quietly in a notebook. Knowing she didn't like to be interrupted while she was drawing, Dylan sat down carefully beside Lilly and waited for her to notice him.

She looked up from her drawing and smiled brightly at him. "Happy birthday Dylan! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks Lilly. What are you drawing?" Dylan asked as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder. He felt something like an electric current go up his arm when he touched her. _That's weird,_ he thought, but he shrugged it off as nothing.

Lilly blushed. "It's nothing…" She pushed his arm off and stood up. "Let's go for a walk. We can go hang out at the Jaguar for a while. I have a present for you."

"Ok. Let me text my dad so he knows where I'm going," Dylan replied, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and typing a short message to his dad. When he finished, Lilly was waiting outside for him.

"Let's go. I want to talk to you, and there are too many prying eyes around here." Lilly grabbed his arm, and he felt another shock go through him. Lilly must have felt it too, because she quickly dropped Dylan's arm and began walking.

They walked in silence for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts. It wasn't uncomfortable though. The two knew each other well enough that talking usually wasn't necessary.

When they entered the Jaguar café, which was closed for the day, they headed upstairs to Lilly's room. Dylan took his usual seat on the chair at the desk, while Lilly sat on the bed.

************Lilly's POV************

As long as I've known Dylan, things had never been awkward between us. We hit it off right from the start. Today, however, felt different. I had a clenching, nervous feeling in my stomach, which had never happened before, not around Dylan. I didn't understand what was different between us. _Maybe it's because you like him, as more than a friend._ As soon as the thought came, I banished it. I couldn't like Dylan, could I?

"Um… Lilly? Are you ok?" Dylan asked me. "You're spacing out."

_Act cool, act cool! _I put my signature grin on my face and turned to face my best friend. "I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff."

"Oh. Wanna talk about it?" He asked me, his brown eyes concerned. He stood up and moved toward the bed. I took a moment to study him. Over the years, he had slowly grown taller than me. His dark hair hung in his brown eyes, and I found that extremely attractive. I had never noticed how good looking Dylan was.

"Lilly, you're doing it again." Dylan waved his hand in front of my face. Again, I just smiled at him. He gave me a small smile back and sat down beside me.

"Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today," I mumbled, my cheeks flushing. Dylan noticed, and began chuckling.

"Lilly, your face is red," he commented dryly. I smacked his arm.

"I know! Geez!" I was laughing at this point too, and we just sat laughing like idiots for a while. Finally, we both calmed down enough to resume a normal conversation.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Dylan asked me, gazing into my eyes. I found my attention drawn to his lips, which looked totally kissable at the moment.

_Whoa! What are you thinking Lilly? You can't kiss your best friend! Are you crazy!?_

And just like that I was snapped out of my trance. "Yeah, but it's not important. We can talk later. Can't we just act like goofballs for a little while?" I replied. I'd missed this. I hadn't really had much time with Dylan lately. We were both busy with work.

Dylan grinned. "So what do you wanna do? We can go back to the barn and swing on our rope, if you want."

I laughed. "We haven't done that in years! It's probably rotted by now!"

At that, he just shrugged. "I can replace it. I'm not some little kid who has to run to his dad for help any more."

"I know. Can you believe you're 17 already? Where did the time go?" I giggled. Dyl really was grown up. We both were. It seemed like yesterday when I first met him when he was 14 and I was 13. We were both so different then. Funny how fast things changed.

Dylan just laughed and pulled at my hand. "Come on, let's go!" And before I could say anything else, he had pulled me from my bed, out of my room, and into the rain. I could tell that it had just started raining though, because it was sunny when we got here.

We ran to the barn quickly, not wanting to get wet, and when we got inside, we stopped to catch our breath. Once we could breathe again, Dyl set to work on fixing our rope swing while I watched him contently. I pulled my sketchbook from the small bag I had strung over my shoulder, and began sketching him. His eyes, his hair, his lips… There I went again. Thinking about his lips. What was wrong with me?

I shook my head to clear it, and began my drawing again.

************Dylan's POV************

I worked quickly on the rope swing that my dad had put up for me and Rosie a few years ago, replacing it with stronger rope. As I worked, I found my mind wandering to Lilly. She had been acting rather strange. _She looks really pretty today though…_

Wait, what? Since when do I think like that about my best friend? It was true though. She had pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail for the day, and wore no makeup. She was absolutely beautiful.

I had to shake my head. Where were these thoughts coming from?

Oh, well. I just shook my head and continued my work.

************Third Person************

Dylan and Lilly spent the rest of the day just hanging out in the barn, and at about 7 they went back to Dylan's house for cake and presents.

When they arrived, Benjamin Mee, Dylan's dad brought out a simple cake iced with plain white. Written on the top, in dark blue letters, were the words, "Happy 17th Birthday Dylan."

Rosie carefully lit the candles with her father's help, and set the cake in front of Dylan. Everyone sang Happy Birthday, and he blew out his candles, making a wish.

************Dylan's POV************

As I blew out my candles, my wish was _I wish I could tell Lilly how I really feel. _The only problem was, I didn't know how I really felt about her. Looking at her now, I was pretty sure I knew. I could only hope that she felt the same way. _Lilly, I think I love you._

************Lilly's POV************

We all watched as Dylan blew out the candles on his cake. When he finished, I smiled at him. "What did you wish for?"

His face turned bright red. "Umm… I… Umm…"

I laughed at his embarrassment. "It's ok! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"

He glared at me with his still red face. "If I tell you what I wished for, it won't come true."

Outwardly, I laughed at him. Inwardly, I was thinking. _That's strange. He always tells me what he wishes for. _I brushed it off and helped Rosie cut the cake.

After everyone ate their cake, it was time for presents. My cousin, Kelly-Also Dylan's new step mom **(A/N: I know I didn't explain! Sorry!)**-brought them all out. I pulled mine out of my bag.

"Sweet, presents!" I rolled my eyes. Same old Dylan.

He opened them all with vigor. His dad got him an iPod Touch, 5th Generation. He was pretty excited.

Kelly got him an iTunes gift card, and Rosie baked him cookies. He just stared at the cookies and said, "Who helped you make these, Rose?"

Rosie giggled, her brown eyes sparkling. "Daddy did! He didn't trust me in the kitchen all by myself."

Dylan laughed at his little sister. "So they're edible?"

"Of course they are! I wouldn't poison them or anything!" Rosie told him sternly. Dylan just shrugged.

"Here, this one's from me," I told him, handing him the wrapped package. He took it and began carefully removing the paper. Once it was open, Dylan stared at it in shock. Sitting in his lap was a brand new sketchbook that I had made for him, with his name engraved carefully on the cover. "Do you like it?" I asked him, a little nervous at what he would say.

He suddenly jumped up and threw his arms around me, causing a flurry of butterflies to flutter in my stomach. And that was when I knew I had made the right choice of what to get him. "I love it! Thank you!" He cried.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it," I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck. I saw Kelly make a kissy face at me, and I stuck my tongue out at her while I blushed. She just smirked at me.

When Dylan pulled away, he smiled brightly at me, thanking me again. After that, it was time for me to go home. Dylan walked me to the door, and held it open for me.

"Good night, Lilly. See you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," I smiled. "Good night, Dylan." With that, I headed home.

As I entered my room in the back of the Jaguar café, I thought about mine and Dylan's relationship, wishing I could tell him how I really felt.

_Dylan, I think I love you._

**Don't kill me for ending it there! It's late, and I need some sleep! Review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey y'all! How's life? Good? That's good. I know, I know. I should have updated sooner. But I have reasons: 1****st****, School has been crazy, so I've had tons of homework. 2****nd****, I started working again. Sure, it's only a summer job that hasn't fully started up yet, but I've been working weekends since the end of March. So sorry I haven't updated. I'll try to do better, but no promises, sorry guys.**

**Also, any italicized parts indicate journal/diary entries done by either Dylan or Lily.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own We Bought a Zoo or any characters involved. I do own the laptop I'm using to write this on, and this plot line is all mine.**

**I Think I Love You…**

**Chapter 2: Hiding These Feelings, Part One (Lily's POV)**

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been two weeks since I realized my feelings for Dylan. I haven't seen him much, seeing as it's June now, and the zoo is at the busiest part of the season. I've been working hard, trying to avoid him so I don't let my feelings slip. I have no idea how he's going to take it. Will he hate me? Will things be awkward? It's questions like these that keep my feelings in the dark._

_I mean, I seriously don't know what to do, or how to act around him anymore. I don't think he feels the same way about me as I do about him. It's kind of a depressing thought. I have only spoken to him twice in the last two weeks, and I miss him. It's like a giant hole has been punched through my chest, and I don't think it will ever heal until I let him know how I really feel about him. How does one go about confessing their love for their best friend? Hmm… I'm not really sure._

_I am in need of advice right now. I would go to Kelly, but she would tease me endlessly. I mean, I know she has seen this coming. Who hasn't? I mean, besides Dylan and me. I'm sure he won't feel the same way._

_Would Kelly help me? Maybe, but she's been so busy I don't want to bother her. Plus, she's super stressed right now, and I'm not sure why. I mean, sure, the zoo is really busy. But we've dealt with this before, and it was much busier the year we reopened. Surely that couldn't be why she so stressed out all the time?_

_Speaking of Kelly and weird happenings going on with her, she has been eating a lot lately. And it's pretty strange stuff. Sardines in peanut butter, when she doesn't even like sardines? Of course, she's been putting peanut butter on everything lately. And she seems to be gaining weight, particularly in the tummy area. Could she be… Nah. Not possible._

_Oh well. I'm off to finish my chores for the day, then off to bed I go. Maybe, before I go to sleep I will go talk to Kelly for a little while. Maybe that will ease my mind a little bit. Good night, and I will write again tomorrow, hopefully!_

_-Lilly M._

Sighing, I put my diary back in its secret place underneath my pillow. No one would ever see it there, hopefully.

I slid out of my desk chair, which is right next to the head of my bed. I hurriedly ran down the stairs to finish off my chores for the night. I still had to put all of the feed away and make sure the lights in the storage rooms were off.

Once I finished with my work, I made my way over to the Mee's house. I knocked lightly on the door, and it was opened to reveal a shirtless Dylan. He was only wearing a pair of sweats, so I figured he was ready for bed. It took me a moment to learn how to breathe again as I took in his slight, yet still visible, muscles. Man, he was good looking.

"Hey, Lilly. How are you? I haven't talked to you much," He told me, smiling in concern as my face began to heat up.

"I'm fine. Can I come in? I have to talk to Kelly for a few minutes," I told him. Was I imagining the disappointment in his dark brown eyes? Nah, probably not.

"Sure, come on in. You know where to find her," Dylan let me in, and I slid past him up to Kelly and Benjamin's room.

I found Kelly in there alone, with her hands curled around her abdomen protectively. She looked up as I came in, and smiled at me. "Hi, Lilly. What's up?" She asked.

"Umm… Can I talk to you for a minute? I need some advice," I confessed, blushing.

"Okay, sweetheart. What do you need?" She smiled at me encouragingly as I tried to figure out something to say.

"Okay, so I really, really like this guy." I told her. "But I'm not sure how to tell him how I feel without pushing him away."

Kelly tapped her chin thoughtfully, then grinned mischievously back at me. "Does this boy happen to have dark brown hair, brown eyes, and does he live on the property?"

I gasped, though I shouldn't have been surprised. I knew that Kelly knew that I had a crush on Dylan. She probably knew before I knew myself. I felt my cheeks grow warm. "Yeah, I really like him. But how do I tell him?"

"Well, you could always just come right out and say it. Or you could sing it to him, seeing as you absolutely love to sing." she told me, and I felt myself blushing harder. I couldn't sing to him, could I? "And you're really good, too, by the way," she added, smiling at me.

I thought about it carefully, then nodded. "What would I sing to him?"

I could see I had hit a road bump there. "Well, I'm not sure. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

I smiled and thanked her as I began to leave.

"Wait!" She called after me, before I could leave the room completely. "I have something to tell you."

"Okay." I said, coming to sit back down beside her on the bed. I could tell she was nervous, and a small blush covered her cheeks.

"Well…" She began. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'm going to come right out and say it."

I nodded, intrigued. This couldn't have anything to do with her strange eating habits and weight gain, could it?

She steeled herself, and rushed out a quick sentence that I didn't understand, at all. I asked her to repeat it, slower this time. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant."

I jumped up, squealing, and hugged her. "Congratulations!" I crowed, squeezing her tight.

She pulled back a moment later and smiled at me, tears of joy in her eyes. "I've wanted a baby for so long, Lilly," she whispered. "And now I get to have one, with Benjamin. I couldn't be happier."

There was just one thing that was bothering me about this. "You haven't told anyone about this, have you?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure how they're going to take it. Benjamin and Dylan especially. I'm sure Rosie would be pleased, she's always wanted a little brother or sister." She took a deep breath. "But I'm not sure if Dylan will be happy, what with his mother dying, and all. And if Dylan's not happy, Benjamin won't be happy." Kelly sighed in defeat. "I don't know how to tell them."

"Kelly, Dylan's mom passed away years ago. Sure, he misses her and all, and wishes it were her instead of you, but he would love a baby brother or sister. I'm sure of it. And Benjamin wants a baby, too. I can see it in his eyes whenever he sees babies coming to the zoo with there parents."

"So, you don't mind? That there will be another kid in my life besides you?" She seemed legitimately concerned about this, so I looked for a way to reassure her.

I smiled at her and hugged her again. "I'm happy for you, Kelly. Really, I am, And I love you." With that, I blew her a kiss and left the room, hearing her call and "I love you, too," back to me. I walked slowly back to the Jaguar café, where my room was, thinking about everything Kelly had told me, from her advice on Dylan, to the news that she was pregnant.

I smiled to myself as I entered my room from the back door. It would be fun to have a new baby around.

I changed into my pajamas and turned my radio on, slowly drifting off to sleep. Right before the land of dreams took me, I heard the perfect song for me to sing to Dylan. It fit my feelings just right, and I couldn't wait to sing it for him. I then drifted off, thinking about Kelly's baby, and how excited Benjamin, Dylan, and Rosie would be when they found out.

**A/N: So there you go. Sorry if it didn't make much sense. It's late, and I'm kind of tired. Let me know what you think, and I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can get it done. I love reviews, so make sure to leave one. I'll see y'all next time, and I love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys. I know it's been a few weeks since I've updated, and I'm sorry. I just haven't felt up to it lately. I'm falling way behind in all of my classes at school, digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole that I can't find my way out of. Plus, I've started working weekends again at my summer job. That means no time on weekends either. One more thing, for the next two weeks I will be completing the end of level tests for my classes at school. So I will be studying and won't have time to write. Sorry. And then when the summer starts I will begin working full time. That means no time over the summer either. And finally, after that I'm off to high school. Which means tons and tons of homework each night, so no time for updates!**

**Okay, now that you know my whole life story, on with this story. And while I'm thinking about it, I need a song for Lilly to sing to Dylan. Preferably country or pop, but any suggestions are welcomed. I have a poll up on my profile, so go vote on that for which song she will sing. If you have any other choices, let me know and I will consider them! Thanks! Now, enjoy this chapter. It takes place on the same day as the last one, except in Dylan's POV! Italicized sections are Dylan's journal entries (no, it's not girly for him to have a journal).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**I Think I Love You…**

**Chapter 3: Hiding These Feelings, Part Two (Dylan's POV)**

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm so confused. I think I'm in love with my best friend. Of course, she can't possibly feel the same way, can she? I mean, we've been friends for years. Am I willing to jeopardize that and tell her how I really feel? If only I could. My life would be much simpler._

_I have only spoken to Lilly a few times since my birthday party, and everything has been weird and awkward between us. I'm not quite sure why. Does she know how I feel? Is she just trying to let me know she's not interested?_

_I don't have anyone to talk to about any of this either. My dad would be happy to help, but I'm sure that would be awkward. I've grown close to Kelly, but I'm not sure I could confide this in her. And Rosie is just to young. Ten years old is too young to be dealing with relationship issues. _

_So what's a guy to do? Should I tell her how I feel, or should I just remain her friend? I need answers, and I'm not sure where to get them. _

_I'm off to finish homework, and then maybe I will talk to my dad. I mean, he snagged my mom, and then Kelly, didn't he? He might be helpful. I'll have to see, I guess. I just don't want to be teased, because I'm sure my dad would tease me. Everyone on the zoo staff probably knows I like Lilly. Heck, I think even Rosie knows. The only one who doesn't know is Lilly. My dad should have advice. I hope._

Sighing, I closed my journal and flung my head back. Why couldn't I figure this out for myself? I was letting my eyes close when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" I yelled.

The door opened to reveal Rosie. "Hey Dylan," she smiled. Rosie was always smiling.

"Hey, Rosie. What's up?" I asked her. She never came up to my room unless she wanted something.

"I'm just worried about you. You've been moping around all week, and me and daddy want to know why," she frowned at this. I thought back to how I'd been acting. I guess I had been acting strange.

"It's nothing, really," I told her, trying to smile.

At this, Rosie gave me her famous puppy-dog eyes. She was too cute. "Tell me? Puh-lease?" Finally, I relented.

"I think I'm in love with my best friend," I confessed. And then I couldn't stop. "She's just so amazing, and smart, and beautiful. The thing is, I don't think she feels the same way. How could she? I'm such a dork with all of my art crap. I just-I don't know."

Rosie just listened to me vent with an open expression on her sweet, pretty little face. My sister was going to be quite the heartbreaker when she grew up. "You're talking about Lilly, right?" I nodded. "Well, I don't know about her, but I think you're pretty cool. You never know what she might think."

I was shocked. My little sister was wise beyond her years when it came to this stuff. She was just too amazing.

"And besides, why wouldn't she like you?" Rosie asked me innocently. She blinked at me with her big brown eyes.

"I don't know, Rosie. What do you think I should do?" I asked her. She must know something with the way she was staring at me.

"Well, in all of the movies I've watched and all the books I've read, the main characters just confess how they feel. But they find cute ways to say it." With that, Rosie left, shutting the door behind her.

After she left, I just sat on my bed, more confused than ever. Maybe I should talk to my dad. I stood up from my bed, shoved my journal underneath my sheets, and exited my room to find my dad. He would be able to help me.

As I neared the kitchen, I heard voices. I stopped to listen.

"That's wonderful, Kelly!" I could hear my dad exclaim. He sounded so excited.

"Really? I thought you would be mad, what with Dylan and all…" Kelly's voice was thoughtful. What were they saying about me in there that would make her sound like that? That's when I decided to make my grand entrance.

**I know it's short, please don't kill me! My life is so hectic, I just couldn't even concentrate on writing. One of my favorite teachers passed away last night, and I just heard of it today. I'm a little on the depressed side at the moment. **

**Once again, I need a song for Lilly to sing to Dylan, because it will be used next chapter(hopefully). Good night everyone, and I will update when I can.**


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